Draymond Green Opens Up On Klay Thompson's Final Year With The Warriors

The brotherly bond among the key players of the Golden State Warriors dynasty is well-documented. Though NBA fans know that Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green are a tight-knit group, not many people know how Green reacted to Thompson’s emotional struggles in his final season as a Warrior.

In an episode of the online show “Boardroom,” the Warriors forward opened up about Thompson’s inner battle during the 2023–24 campaign. According to Green, witnessing his fellow four-time NBA champion grapple with self-doubt was an unpleasant experience.

“I knew the pain he was in. That last year he was here, it wasn’t Klay,” Green recalled. “He didn’t have his same joy.”

That season, Thompson’s scoring production and efficiency had fallen off a cliff. After averaging 21.9 points per game on a 41.2% clip from beyond the arc in 2022–23, the former three-point shooting champion put up just 17.9 points per outing on 38.7% shooting from deep.

With the dip in his numbers and the losses that were piling up for the Warriors, Thompson had an apparent change in demeanor. And Green, who had been by his side for 12 years, noticed the transformation. “Watching your brother struggle like that…to me, that was hard.”

After Golden State’s 2023–24 season ended in the play-in tournament, Green got a call from Thompson, who had some news to share.

“I was in the car with my wife and kids. And he said, ‘Dray, I’m leaving,” the former Defensive Player of the Year recounted. When Thompson revealed that he was headed to the Dallas Mavericks, Green found a way to make light of the situation. “I was like, ‘That’s different for you. It’s a landlocked city.’ Everybody knows Klay loves the water."

With this same lighthearted tone, Green came to terms with what he felt about Thompson's impending departure. And, because of that, he made no attempt to stop one half of the Splash Brothers from leaving. "Being a good brother, you've got to see past yourself…the reality is, he needed to go. He needed that, to feel like Klay Thompson again."

More often than not, Green makes headlines for his fiery temper on the court and the sweet nothings that he says into opponents' ears. But when it comes to the teammates that he built a dynasty with, Green's loyalty is beyond dispute.